Inspiration for breweries looking to create seasonal specials with ease.
We love seeing breweries get creative, especially over Winter, when drinkers want something familiar but with a festive twist. Using natural flavours makes it simple: easy to use, consistent every time, cost-effective, and ideal for turning one brew into multiple SKUs.
Murphy & Sons have teamed with flavour house, I.T.S to put together some ideas for both traditional brewers and forward-thinking craft breweries, all built around flavours you can drop straight into finished beer for instant impact.
Like to keep things traditional?
Caramel Biscuit Winter Ale
Base Style: Amber Ale / Best Bitter
Flavour Additions: Caramel Biscuit natural flavour
Concept:
A classic amber ale enriched with caramel biscuit flavour to evoke festive biscuits, toffee, and warming hearthside snacks. Allows breweries to create a Winter Special using an existing amber recipe, simply dosed post-fermentation.
Why it works:
- Retains traditional character.
- Offers a premium winter SKU with minimal production changes.
Dark Chocolate & Cherry Porter
Base Style: Porter
Flavour Additions: Dark Chocolate natural flavour, Cherry Puree natural flavour
Concept:
A smooth, roasty porter is the perfect backdrop for rich dark chocolate notes and a pop of cherry sweetness.
Why it works:
- Chocolate and cherry are a flavour match in heaven. Pure indulgence.
- Black Forest flavour concepts are popping up everywhere this winter, always a classic, but this year more than ever.
Coffee Crème Stout
Base Style: Milk Stout / Sweet Stout
Flavour Additions: Coffee Crème natural flavour
Concept:
This brings soft roasted depth and creamy café sweetness, ideal for drinkers seeking warming, indulgent stout profiles.
Why it works:
- Replaces expensive roasted coffee beans while keeping the brew-house clean.
- Stout and coffee are a timeless match that always turns heads.
Blood Orange Festive Bitter
Base Style: Best Bitter
Flavour Additions: Blood Orange
Concept:
Premium orange citrus notes giving those Christmas vibes mixed with the traditional British Bitter
Why it works:
- Keeping things traditional with Bitter and orange, but giving it that exciting push with Blood Orange.
- A Christmas classic flavour pairing that’s drinkers know and love.
Feeling a bit craftier?
Cherry Purée & Vanilla Pastry Sour – “Festive Bake Sour”
Base Style: Pastry Sour
Flavour Additions: Cherry Purée natural flavour, Rich Vanilla natural flavour
Concept:
A playful ode to the classic British festive desserts, bursting with cherry pie filling and creamy vanilla.
Why it works:
- Highly Instagrammable.
- Fits perfectly with craft beer’s dessert-beer craze.
Coffee Crème & Caramel Biscuit Porter – “Fireside Latte Porter”
Base Style: Robust Porter
Flavour Additions: Coffee Crème natural flavour, Caramel Biscuit natural flavour
Concept:
A modern pastry porter riffing on the Christmas coffee-shop experience: warming roast, sweet biscuit, soft latte notes.
Why it works:
- On trend with the buzzing coffee shop culture of the moment.
- Add in other flavour to help boost the excitement.
Pineapple & Blood Orange Brut IPA – “Yuletide Mimosa IPA”
Base Style: Brut IPA
Flavour Additions: Pineapple natural flavour, Blood Orange natural flavour
Concept:
Bright, fizzy, champagne like beer inspired by holiday brunch cocktails. Festive but firmly craft.
Why it works:
Taking that fruity Christmas morning tipple to the next level, or the Christmas eve party starter, or take it all the way to New Year’s. Ready for any party occasion.
Berry Brule IPA
Base Style: Milkshake IPA
Flavour Additions: Rich Vanilla natural flavour, raspberry puree natural flavour
Concept:
Gives you all those creamy and fruity dessert vibes that you need at Christmas. Taking Crème Brule to next level with raspberry and beer. Yum.
Why it works:
- Dessert flavours have been on trend for what it feels like forever and showing no sign of slowing down.
- Indulgence, tick. Desserts, tick. That’s what Christmas is all about.
For more information on the I.T.S. flavours and dosing rates click here – we look forward to hearing about your creative brews.
